CrowdScience - How long will traces of our civilisation last?
What will remain of us hundreds of millions of years from now? And how can we be so certain that we are the first technologically advanced species on Earth?
These unsettling questions have been haunting listener Steve. If fossils can be lost to deep time through erosion and subduction into the Earth’s mantle, how would anyone — or anything — ever know that we had been here? And if an earlier species had built a civilization that rose and fell, would we even be able to find traces of it?
To investigate, CrowdScience presenter Caroline Steel speaks to the scientists trying to answer these questions, while producer Sam Baker goes fossil hunting on the Jurassic Coast in the UK.
Caroline speaks with astrophysicist Adam Frank at the University of Rochester in the US, who along with NASA scientist Gavin Schmidt developed the Silurian hypothesis – the idea that if an advanced species had existed deep in Earth’s past, they might have vanished without leaving a trace.
But palaeontologists Jan Zalasiewicz and Sarah Gabbott from the University of Leicester in the UK argue that humans are already leaving an indelible mark in the form the chemical and material fingerprints we’re pressing into Earth’s crust. They contend that the ‘technofossils’ we are producing will last a very long time indeed.
Along the way, Caroline and producer Sam discover just how rare fossils really are, how even the tiniest particles of pollution will give us away to far-future explorers, and why car parks might be our ultimate legacy. What they find is at once unsettling and oddly comforting: humanity could be fleeting, but our impact probably won’t be.
Could we really have missed evidence of an ancient civilization? And what strange clues will we leave behind for whoever, or whatever, comes next? We explore Earth’s geological memory to find out.
Presenter: Caroline Steel Producer: Sam Baker Editor: Ben Motley
(Photo: Old phone embedded in concrete layer with defocused landscape background Credit: Petra Richli Via Getty Images)
Unexpected Elements - Where do beaches come from?
It’s August, and in the northern hemisphere, many people are hitting the beach to escape the summer heat. And that inspired us to investigate bucketloads of beach-based science.
First up, we find out about the forces that build and shape the seaside.
Next, we discover that the waves from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption reached the atmosphere.
Speaking of waves, we’re joined by Dr Edward Hurme from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, who tells us about his research into surfing bats.
And why are beaches disappearing?
All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Tristan Ahtone and Phillys Mwatee Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, with Imaan Moin, Robbie Wojciechowski and Lucy Davies
Short Wave - Why U.S. Sunscreens Don’t Measure Up
The United Nations estimates that there were over 1.5 million new cases of skin cancer in 2022. That number might have you reaching for the nearest tube of sunscreen. And it might also have you wondering what truth there is to the hype around Korean and European sunscreens. Click around online and you’ll see lots of claims about the superiority of their protection against UV radiation compared to products made in the United States. But are sunscreens sold in the U.S. really so subpar? With the help of chemist and science communicator Michelle Wong, we wade into the research of UVA and UVB rays, the complexities of regulating cosmetics and drugs, and how to maximize your protection against the sun no matter which sunscreens you have access to.
Interested in more science behind skincare products? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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Science In Action - How Fear Spreads
What can modern epidemiological methods tell us about French Revolutionary history? Also, the origins of horse riding, solar systems, and star dust itself.
Presenter: Roland Pease Producer: Alex Mansfield Production Coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
(Image: Storming of the Bastille Paris France 1789 illustration. Credit: Grafissimo via Getty Images).
Short Wave - A Lock of Hair Could Rewrite Knowledge Of The Inca Empire
Literacy in this form of writing was assumed to be something that only the highest levels of Inca society could do. But NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce shares how a new analysis of a cord made out of human hair may change that assumption.
Curious about science history? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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PBS News Hour - Science - California farms face pressure to boost efficiency as water supply declines
Short Wave - Nature Quest: What Does Climate Change Sound Like?
This episode is part of Nature Quest, a monthly Short Wave segment that answers listener questions about their local environment.
Got a question about changes in your local environment? Send a voice memo to shortwave@npr.org with your name, where you live and your question. We might make it into our next Nature Quest episode!
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Short Wave - Sea Camp: To Mine Or Not To Mine
Curious about other science controversies? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.
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